Chapter 9 Part 1

In 2003, the two families celebrated the New Year’s Eve together.

Before the Spring Festival Gala started, Yang Yingyun discussed with Bai Xiaochu, “It’s rare that neither of us has to be on duty this year. How about we take the kids out to play during the holiday?”

Bai Xiaochu felt the same way. They pulled out a dusty map of China from home and excitedly discussed where it would be more fun to go.

Unfortunately, it did not take long.

Yang Yingyun received a call from the hospital asking her to return urgently, and there was a good chance she would be sent on an assignment elsewhere.

Her return date was uncertain.

Yang Yingyun hurriedly packed up Yang Wanxi’s daily necessities and clothes, delivered both the child and the bags to the Bai family home. Bai Xiaochu was particularly worried, “What’s the situation that’s so urgent?”

“Last November or December, didn’t I tell you about that troublesome disease discovered in Guangdong? The symptoms look like a cold, but it just won’t get cured.”

“Oh, I have a vague memory…” Bai Xiaochu frowned. “Is this the same issue?”

“Not just the same, it’s even more serious. I heard it’s already broken out big time over there.” As she spoke, the PHS in Yang Yingyun’s bag rang again. She picked it up, glanced at it, and quickly waved her hand. “Alright, alright, no time, I have to go right now.”

“Okay—” Bai Xiaochu called out to Yang Yingyun’s receding figure. “Take care of yourself—”

Before she could finish her reminder, Yang Yingyun turned back.

“Oh, right, that… white vinegar and banlangen, those two things. If you have time today, buy more and stock up at home.”

For a long time afterward, Bai Xiaochu, including Yang Yingyun who was stationed at the city hospital, believed that although this major outbreak was fierce, based on past experience with epidemic prevention and control, it should not last too long.

The little children did not have classes suspended for the time being; they just needed to fumigate with white vinegar before entering or leaving home, and drink a packet of banlangen regularly.

Every time Bai Xiaochu was not paying attention, Bai Kou would leave a tiny sip, randomly tug at one of her sisters’ clothes, and plead with a bitter gourd face for her sister to finish it.

Her logic was this—

She was short, while both sisters were tall, so the sisters needed to drink a bit more for it to be effective.

But she never pushed her luck; she never left more just because someone helped.

As for the other two kids who were forced to drink an extra sip every day.

For several days, Bai Yuqiao carefully studied the pharmacology instructions on the banlangen packet, trying to figure out if one less sip really made a difference.

Yang Wanxi was more indifferent. Bai Kou only left a tiny amount that barely got stuck in one’s teeth; after drinking a whole bowl, what did that little bit from Bai Kou matter? But every time she helped, she would smile at Bai Kou, “Bai Doudou, you owe me one again today.”

Not only that, Yang Wanxi specially took out a notebook and wrote tally marks to record how much Bai Kou owed her.

One day, she showed the notebook to Bai Kou. It was densely packed with two rows of tally marks, and next to them, she marked a big “43!” in red pen.

Bai Kou’s eyes widened, her hands cupped over her mouth like the painting The Scream. The next second, she dejectedly knelt sideways in Yang Wanxi’s room.

“Heavens!!! I’ll never be able to pay this off in my lifetime!!!”

By mid-March, the four English letters “SARS” officially appeared in major news reports. Bai Yuqiao, who was about to take the primary school promotion exam, also diligently noted it down in her English vocabulary notebook.

The elementary school began distributing masks to the children, along with N times a day of disinfection that smelled awful and stung Bai Kou’s eyes so much she could barely keep them open.

The worst part was that more than half a year had passed since graduating from kindergarten, yet Bai Kou had not grown at all. She was still tiny, her body the same size as back in kindergarten, with a small frame leading to a small face and small ears.

She unhappily grumbled to Bai Yuqiao.

“Sister, it’s all because of the mask. It keeps slipping off during class, so I can’t focus on listening at all!”

Coincidentally, that day Bai Xiaochu had to work late at the factory and would return home late. Bai Yuqiao frowned, then found Bai Kou’s mask and held it up to her little sister’s face for comparison for a few seconds.

She lowered her arm and gestured to Bai Kou: 【It’s too big. I’ll go buy one. Wait at home.】

Seeing her sister about to head out, Bai Kou immediately grabbed her. “I want to go too!”

【You can’t go.】 Bai Yuqiao explained, 【Too many cars, dangerous.】

“I want to go, I want to go!” Bai Kou shook her head frantically. “You going alone is even more dangerous! Mom said we have to go out together!”

With that, Bai Kou’s two slender arms tightly hugged her sister’s waist, her legs planted in a horse stance, full of determination that said, “If you don’t take me, you’re not going either.”

There was no helping it.

Bai Yuqiao put on her own mask, then shortened and knotted the straps on Bai Kou’s mask so it barely fit.

The nearest pharmacy was two traffic lights away—very far for little kids.

So as soon as they closed the door, Bai Yuqiao grew nervous.

She gripped Bai Kou’s little hand tightly and, before Bai Kou could voice her confusion, first gestured: 【You must listen to me.】

Bai Kou nodded immediately. “Of course! I’m the most obedient!”

The tall and the short kid held hands as they went downstairs.

This red brick building had a semi-enclosed structure: a long row in the middle, with shorter rows on each side. To get out between the buildings, they could take a shortcut through a mini plaza under the tree shades.

The spring breeze was particularly gentle. As they exited the building entrance, they could hear the leaves rustling softly in the wind.

And then, “Whoosh—”, a badminton shuttlecock streaked across the sky.

Bai Kou suddenly stopped and pointed to Bai Yuqiao. “Sister! I’m telling on her! Xiao Xi sister sneaked down to play badminton again!”

Before Bai Yuqiao could respond, Yang Wanxi, dressed in white-and-purple sportswear for kids, slung her racket over her shoulder and strode straight toward Bai Kou.

“Hey, hey…” The troublemaking but timid Bai Kou called out softly, hiding behind Bai Yuqiao and only peeking out with a pair of shiny black eyes. “Sister, I’m scared…”

“You’re scared my foot! Were you badmouthing me again?” Yang Wanxi stopped in front of Bai Yuqiao, tilted her head, and glared at the little one hiding behind.

“…” Bai Kou went silent for two seconds, then said, “Auntie Yang said it’s dangerous lately and told you not to come downstairs to play badminton with others. How is that badmouthing?”

Yang Wanxi: “Oh? Then what about you two? Didn’t you sneak down too?”

Hit the nail on the head. Bai Kou immediately poked out from behind Bai Yuqiao, hands on hips, righteous and bold. “We’re going to the pharmacy to buy stuff, like grown-ups. You wouldn’t understand.”

“Pharmacy?” Yang Wanxi looked suspiciously at Bai Kou, then at Bai Yuqiao. “No way, you’re definitely going somewhere fun.”

She gripped her racket tightly, lowered her arm, and declared, “I’m going with you too.”

On the way back from the pharmacy, Bai Yuqiao lagged two steps behind. She heard the two little sisters ahead competing over “whose ice cream is tastier.” She raised her hand—

After buying children’s masks and the snacks the sisters wanted…

She had only 50 cents left on her entire body.

After eight in the evening, Bai Xiaochu finally returned home from the factory.

Little Bai Kou had rolled her workbook into a tube, her back to her, singing along loudly with the TV’s on-demand channel: “Regarding love, there was no fantastical ending in the past~” She even wiggled her butt while singing.

Impressive—this little brat couldn’t even memorize her lessons properly, yet here she was with love songs?

Bai Xiaochu shook her head, out of sight out of mind, and turned to the other side. Bai Yuqiao sat upright at the dining table, writing on a test paper.

Good!

This was her obedient darling!

Bai Xiaochu immediately ignored the “rampaging” Bai Kou and headed to the right, but as she approached, she paused again.

The open test paper had not a single word written on it.

During the midnight snack, Bai Yuqiao was also a bit absent-minded. Every time Bai Xiaochu casually asked about school, she had to widen her eyes as if startled, pause for two seconds, then gesture her answer.

Before bed, Bai Kou sat alone in the bathroom washing her feet. The water gradually cooled. She splashed her feet around for a bit, got bored, and wanted to dry them off, but she couldn’t reach the towel.

“Mom!” she shouted loudly.

No response.

“Sister!”

Still no response.

Bai Kou fretted for a while and finally chose between being stuck in the bathroom or getting scolded.

She stepped onto the tiles with her bare, wet feet, stretched her arms to grab the towel, then sloshed back across the damp floor to her little stool. She dried her left foot, then her right.

After tidying up everything, Bai Kou even hauled the very heavy mop to wipe the tiles dry.

Hmm~ This was to seek leniency when getting scolded~

She stood alone at the bathroom door admiring it for a moment, thought it was too clean, and finally turned to look for the two missing people in the house.

No one in the living room, no one in the kitchen. Mom’s room door was ajar?

A sneaky, thief-like grin spread across Bai Kou’s face. She cupped her hands over her mouth, lightened her steps, and crept over. She was going to “Boo!” and scare everyone!

As she got close, she heard a sister’s sniffling sob.

Mom said, “Wasting money?”

Bai Kou’s expression froze. Wasting money?

In a flash, she remembered how earlier, when they went out together, she had insisted on pestering her sister to buy them snacks.

Mom asked her sister again, “So that’s why you were like this tonight?”

“Waaah waaah waaah!” Bai Kou cried as she rushed into the room. “It’s all my fault! Mom, don’t blame sister!”

That night, no matter what, Bai Kou refused to go back to her own room to sleep. She was afraid Mom would sneak into her room and trouble her sister while she wasn’t looking.

She hugged her little pillow and blanket, climbed onto her sister’s bed with a resolute face, and said, “Sister, you sleep against the wall. I won’t sleep tonight; I’ll sit here and stand guard for you!”

Bai Yuqiao gestured: 【Aren’t you sleepy?】

Bai Kou declared proudly, “On a mission! Not sleepy at all!”

About half an hour later.

Bai Kou sprawled out starfish-style, occupying her sister’s bed, snoring away. Bai Yuqiao then hugged her little sister back to the pillow side, positioned her head properly, tucked in the blanket neatly, then quietly got out of bed to turn off the room light.

She lay down in the dark. Not long after, Bai Kou clung to Bai Yuqiao like a koala.

In the brightly lit living room, Bai Xiaochu opened the door for Yang Yingyun and whispered a greeting, “Come in quick, the chicken soup is still hot.”

Yang Yingyun’s dark circles were almost bigger than her eye sockets. She took off her coat and headed to the kitchen. “Is there noodles? I’m starving.”

“There are, and fried lard residue, bok choy too. I’ll cook some for you.”

She closed the kitchen door.

Bai Xiaochu shared how Bai Yuqiao had cried today with Yang Yingyun.

Yang Yingyun munched on a cucumber to tide her over. “Huh? Did I hear that right? You’re sure it wasn’t Bai Kou or my daughter who cried?”

“Bai Kou and your daughter weren’t there.” Bai Xiaochu said, “Xiao Yue—er, no, Yuqiao. Today she took her little sister and your daughter to the pharmacy to buy masks, then got persuaded by Bai Kou to buy several bags of snacks. She spent all her pocket money. When I got home that evening, she was acting really off. Right before bedtime, she ran to my room—”